


Time Enough For Trouble

by fragileKnight1



Category: Life Is Strange (Video Game), The Walking Dead (Telltale Video Game)
Genre: Crossover, F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-02
Updated: 2020-10-08
Packaged: 2021-03-07 21:48:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 5
Words: 12,364
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26774665
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fragileKnight1/pseuds/fragileKnight1
Summary: After losing her parents in a tragic accident Clementine is sent to the Blackwell Academy for Troubled Youths by her grandparents because they believe that they can't raise her. While at Blackwell Clementine falls for a fellow troubled orphan named Violet, and discovers that the school is not at all what it seems and that there are dangers hidden around every corner.
Relationships: Clementine/Violet (Walking Dead: Done Running)
Comments: 4
Kudos: 22





	1. Welcome to Blackwell

“So what kind of troubled youth are you?”

“Clementine stopped looking out the window and looked at the cop, “I’m not trouble.”

“And my name isn’t Kenny.”

"You read my file didn’t you?”

“They never tell me who I am taking up to Blackwell.” Kenny smiled, “Since you are kids they prefer to keep it confidential.”

“Well my parents died.” Clementine sighed, “And my grandparents decided it would be better for me to go to Blackwell than be raised by them.”

“Well that ain’t right.” Kenny shook his head, “Family means you make sacrifices. You don’t just give up because it seems hard.”

“Well you aren’t my family.” Clementine crossed her arms, “Do you have any kids?”

“Got a boy.” Kenny smiled, “Kenny, Jr. but we call him Duck because he never stops running and makes the weirdest goddamn noises you have ever heard.”

Clementine nodded, and looked out the window again, “So how many kids have you taken to Blackwell?”

“Oh a half a dozen or so.” Kenny tilted the rear view mirror to get a better view of Clementine, “One girl, I think her name was Ruby, was sent up because she stabbed her step dad with a meat fork.”

“Probably deserved it.”

“According to her he did.” Kenny shook his head, “But according to her mother he didn’t. I am just glad she is now as far from that situation as possible.”

“So what is Blackwell anyways?”

“Blackwell Academy for Troubled Youths. It is basically a private school founded by a rich asshole looking for a tax deductible.” Kenny smiled, “But you will get a good education there for however long you decide to stay. The headmaster is also a stand up guy as well.”

Clementine pulled the papers the social worker had given her and unfolded the map of the school, “It is a really big place.”

“Oh yeah.” Kenny nodded, “If I remember correctly there is a central school, a large dormitory, a gymnasium, a greenhouse, an autoshop, and a church they don’t use anymore.”

“So it is a fancy prison.” Clementine rolled her eyes and started to flip through the papers, “Nice.”

“Not exactly.” Kenny laughed, “Every Saturday you all, if you have been on your best behavior will get to go into town.”

“What town.”

“Arcadia Bay.” Kenny smiled, “It is a small fishing community north of the school. Pretty soon Mr. Everett will be allowing the older kids to come and go at will so they can get jobs in town.”

“You seem to know a lot about all of this.”

“Well that is because I am the sheriff in Arcadia.” Kenny laughed, “Did you think I was just an ordinary cop or something?”

“Well yeah.”

“I will forgive you for that this one time.” Kenny laughed again, “So how old are you Clementine?”

“Sixteen.”

“Well you might be eligible for a place in the work program then. It won’t be anything you could call glamorous but it would give you a steady paycheck.”

Clementine shrugged, “I guess that would be nice.”

“Damn right it would be nice.” Kenny looked out his window at an abandoned train station. “Well it looks like we are almost to the school so I will give you two last pieces of advice. If you are going to look for work do so at the Two Whales. They always need more waitresses and I hear that tourist tip very well.”

Clementine nodded, “So what is the other piece of advice?”

“Try not to cause too much trouble because I will not hesitate to lock you up.”

“Seriously?”

Kenny broke out laughing, “Nah...It is too much paperwork to deal with that. I will just put you on beach cleaning detail. Let you spend the day digging through the sand for trash for a day to teach you a lesson.”

“That sounds worse.”

“Then don’t make any trouble, but I can tell you aren’t the trouble making sort.” Kenny slowed down and turned onto a two lane driveway, “You are the type that tries to stop trouble.”

“Maybe I am, maybe I am not.” Clementine smiled, “If I do get involved with trouble I’ll try to keep you out of it.”

Kenny chuckled, “If I could I would adopt you.”

Clementine smiled and leaned forward when the school came into view, “Holy shit!”

“Holy shit is right.” Kenny nodded, “Welcome to Blackwell, Clementine.”

**\-----**

Clementine waved goodbye to Kenny and picked up her bags as Mr. Everett walked over. He was dressed well with a bad tie loosely hung around his neck like it was a last minute edition and a soft smile that made Clementine feel like she could trust him. 

“Hi there Clementine.” Lee held out his hand and nodded when Clementine shook it, “You probably already know who I am thanks to that awful picture they put in the pamphlet but I am Mr. Everett, or just Lee. I prefer to keep things informal with my students and encourage the rest of the staff to do the same.”

“It is nice to meet you. ”

“Likewise.” Lee nodded, “Now let me show you to your dorm and then I will give you a quick tour of the grounds to give you a chance to meet some of the teachers.”

“Alright.” Clementine followed Lee down a cobblestone path and looked over at a guy painting the windows, “Who is that?”

“That is Luke.” Lee waved at Luke, “He is our groundskeeper, handyman, and custodian. His step-brother, Nick, is our bus driver.”

Clementine stopped walking in front of a large three story building divided down the middle by a clock tower and looked up in awe as she said, “This is the dorms?”

“Yes.” Lee handed Clementine a key card, “That will give you access to the Girl’s Dorm, but don’t try it on the Boy’s, because it won’t work.”

Clementine walked over and used the keycard, “This seems like an excessive amount of security.”

“You will learn to appreciate the security in time.” Lee walked into the dorm. “On the first floor you will find the common area, the laundry room, and your dorm supervisor’s room, but you will meet Brody later.”

“I think my room is on the second floor.”

“Yes.” Lee nodded, “You have been assigned to room Two C. You can either take the stairs or the elevator to get there. At the moment we will take the elevator so we can save some time.”

Clementine followed Lee to the elevator and had to step out of the way of a group of girls who seemed to not be able to see her as they stepped off. She glared at them as they left and said, “I hope not everyone is as rude as them.”

“They just don’t know you yet.” Lee held the elevator open for Clementine and hit the button for the second floor as soon as she stepped on. “Now as you can see there is a button on this panel for the basement but only me, Luke, and our security officers have the key to access it. There is nothing down there besides the furnace, and a bunch of old furniture but we don’t want any students to get hurt so we keep it locked.”

Clementine nodded and smiled when she saw that her room was right across from the elevator. She took the key that was included with the booklet expecting the door to be locked but instead it just pushed open and nearly hit a nervous looking girl who was pacing around the room while reading a book.

“Uh..hi?” Clementine waved slowly, but instead of waving back the other girl ran over to the other bed and cleared off all of the books that had been stacked on it, “I’m Clementine.”

“I’m Sara.” Sara fidgeted, “I’m sorry about the mess. I’ll get it cleaned up as soon as I can.”

“Don’t worry about it.” Clementine tossed her bags on the now empty bed, “So what are you reading?”

“Black Butterfly.” Sara smiled and nervously adjusted her glasses. “It’s about a girl who discovers she can use mirrors to travel to other dimensions. She is searching for her lost girlfriend who got caught between worlds all while being chased by ruthless killers that have cameras for heads and kill by taking people’s pictures.”

“Sounds weird, but interesting.”

“Do you want to borrow it?” Sara smiled, “When I am done of course.”

“Sure.”

“Does this mean we are friends then?”

Clementine backed up a little as Sara stepped closer with a wide smile, “I guess.”

“Clementine we have to continue the tour.” Lee stepped into the doorway, “But it is good to see you have really clicked with your roommate.”

Clementine nodded, “See you later Sara.”

“I’ll make you room on the bookshelf for your books, and a spot in the closet for your clothes.”

“Thanks.” Clementine followed Lee back to the elevator and waited for the doors to close before saying, “Sara seems a bit strange.”

“She is still a very good kid.”

“Can you tell me why she is here?”

“I am not at liberty to discuss that with you.” Lee smiled and stepped off the elevator, “I think our next stop will be the baseball field. If we are lucky we might catch Coach Garcia showing off to his class.”

“You sound a little too excited about that.”

“Clementine I figured the name Garcia would pop out immediately to you. You know because of the hat.” Lee laughed, “He is the famous and slightly infamous Javier Garcia.”

“This hat is my dad’s...was my dad’s.” Clementine looked down at the ground and walked back outside, “He was the baseball fan. He never missed a game and had several recorded for the off season. I think he did say something about Javier Garcia though. He was kicked out of baseball for betting on his own team right? Why hire a crook?”

“One mistake does not mean you are a bad person, Clementine.” Lee shook his head and sighed, “And I apologize for bringing up your parents.”

“It's fine.” Clementine looked toward the boarded up church, “So why is that place so neglected?”

“Well I suppose I should tell you before the other students fill your head with wild rumors and urban legends about it.” Lee chuckled and started to walk again, “We held service there for our more religious students. It was a chapel for all faiths but then we had a severe fire five years ago and at the moment we just don’t have the funds to repair the damage. I am currently looking for investors to aid the restoration project.”

“Oh.” Clementine nodded and noticed a girl with short blond hair sneaking out of the church, but decided not to say anything as they continued on. “So Kenny told me that there is a chance I might be able to get a job in town?”

“There is but it depends on your grades.” Lee walked around a large building and waved at a guy in a sports jersey as he said, “Javi, I’d like you to meet our newest student Clementine.”

“Oh thank goodness.” Javi smiled, “Please tell me you are good at baseball and not just a fan.”

“I haven’t ever played before.” Clementine fidgeted and almost took off her hat, but swallowed the feeling and said, “Sorry.”

“Do you want to give it a shot?” Javi rubbed the back of her neck, “At the moment I barely have enough players for a team and would love to be able to play against the local schools.”

“Sure...” Clementine wasn’t comfortable with saying yes but also felt like she couldn’t say no either. “I guess I could try.”

“Thank you.” Javi smiled, “The team meets every Friday at three and I should get back to watching the kids. A few minutes ago I caught Mitch and Willy trying to get Tenn to eat a stink bug.”

“Keep up the good work.” 

Lee shook his head and started toward the rear entrance to the main school, but was stopped by a hulking mountain of a man in a security uniform. The guy was trying to be intimidating but Lee was unfazed by his steel glare and clenched fists.  “What do you need Larry?”

“I caught those twins smoking in the bathroom!” Larry clenched his jaw and pressed his finger to the center of Lee’s chest, “You need to start disciplining these brats instead of treating them like...”

“Treating them like what, Larry?” Lee knocked away Larry’s finger, “Like children? We are not about to start acting like this school is a prison.”

“These punks aren’t ever going to...” Larry backed up and sat down on the bench as he took a couple of pills from the dispenser hooked to his belt. “God dammit.”

“Larry you need to learn to relax or else you are going to have another heart attack.”

“Oh you would like that wouldn’t you.” Larry stood as he snarled, “Then you would finally have your excuse to get rid of me.”

Lee watched Larry stor off and said, “He is just bitter that I was chosen over his daughter to be the headmaster.”

“He is kind of terrifying.” Clementine followed Lee inside, “I will try to avoid him whenever I see him.”

“That would be smart.” Lee stopped and took a deep breath when he spotted an angry woman in a fancy red suit storming toward them, “And now you get to meet Lilly. Our Administrative Assistant and Chief of Security.”

“There you are!” Lilly crossed her arms, “Me and my dad have been looking everywhere for you!”

“I have already met with your father.”

“Good.” Lilly's voice was as cold as ice, “Minerva and Sophi are waiting for you in your office. I expect they will be let off with a warning and promise not to do it again?”

“I am trying to give our new student a tour of the campus so she understands what to do tomorrow when she starts officially.” Lee looked down at Clementine, “This is Clementine, Lilly.”

“I will give Clementine the tour.” Lilly forcefully yanked Clementine over to her, “Now you go do your job.”

“Alright Lilly.” Lee looked down at Clementine, “I will call you to my office later to talk about your schedule.”

Clementine nodded and followed Lilly as she said, “So where are we going?”

“Do you have your map?”

“Yes.”

“Then use it.” 

Clementine watched Lilly walk away and muttered, “What a bitch.”

“Nice.”

Clementine turned in shock to a grinning girl with messily cut blonde hair who was wearing what looked like a homemade denim vest over a Blackwell hoody, and said, “Didn’t I see you earlier?”

“Yeah, and I decided to follow you.”

Clementine crossed her arms and tilted her head, “Why?”

“Because you are new and I wanted to know what kind of girl you are.”

"And what kind of girl am I?"

“The kind I would like to be friends with.” The girl laughed softly, “I am Violet.”

“I am Clementine.”

“I know.” Violet smiled and wrapped her arm around Clementine’s. “Well, Clem, how about I give you a real tour of campus?”

“That sounds like fun.”

**\-----**

After finishing Violet’s tour of Blackwell and talking with Lee about her schedule Clementine returned to her dorm hoping for some peace and quiet, but that wasn’t meant to be. As soon as she walked in the door Sara started to ask her questions so quickly she could barely understand anything that was being said and was only able to piece together two of them.

“I like it here.” Clementine fell back on her bed, “And I liked most of the teachers I met.”

“Nice.” Sara pulled an old Polaroid camera out of her desk, “Can I take your picture?”

“Sure.” Clementine groaned and sat up, “So how long have you been here?”

“Two years.” Sara smiled and the camera clicked as it printed out the picture. “My dad thought it would be best for me, but I don’t know why.”

“Well I am sure he...”

“He just locked himself in his office one day and after a week of me sitting by the door waiting for him to come out Mr. Kenny came and got me.” Sara sat down on her bed. “I still write to him but he never writes back.”

“Oh.” Clementine realized that Sara was either in denial or delusional so she decided to change topics to pull Sara back to the present, “So what is our favorite class?”

“English Literature with Mrs. Christa, but her husband’s American History is a close second.” Sara smiled and sat down on her bed, “Mr. Omid is very hilarious even when he tries not to be.”

“I got him for fourth period right after science...”

“Oh who do you have for science?” Sara took Clementine’s schedule without asking, “Oh you...”

Clementine looked at the door as someone started to knock softly and got up to answer it. She smiled when she saw it was Violet and said, “Come on in. Sara this Violet. I also met her today.”

“I know Sara.” Violet waved, “We have a couple classes together but I don’t think we have ever talked. I don’t think I have ever seen her without a book in front of her face in fact. It is kind of amazing you can walk without bumping into anyone to be honest.”

“I...” Sara smiled nervously, “Clementine...I don’t know what to do right now.”

“Violet is cool.” Clementine reached over and took Sara’s hand, “Think of a character she reminds you of and see if that helps.”

“She reminds me of Samantha Sterling from Gumball Pinball.” Sara nodded, “She was this tough as nails girl with a heart of gold. She was trying to save her favorite arcade from going under thanks to a greedy developer and ends up going to jail because she decided to burn his limo and wreck his office with the help of her gang, but she does save the arcade. After serving ten years she goes back and finds it is still there and plays one last game of pinball before leaving for good.”

“I like it.” Violet laughed and sat down next to Clementine. “If I had too I would also go full anarchy to get my point across. Screw corporate America. Let’s burn that shit down and make our own laws.”

Sara’s eyes went wide and she nodded, “Since you are friends with Clementine does that mean I can be friends with you?”

“Sure whatever.” Violet crossed her arms, “So can I hang out here for a little while?” My roommate is being a giant bitch because of something that I don’t give a shit about and I just don’t have the energy to deal with her right now.”

“Are we going to have a sleepover?” Sara’s eyes went wide, “I have never had enough friends to have one of those before. Can we play a board game?”

“Sure.” Violet brushed her hand against Clementine’s as she moved down to the floor. “Anything would be better than going back to my room.”

Clementine stared at her hand and felt her heart race just because of the feel of Violet’s hand against hers. It was just an accident. She was just reading too much into it, but her mind drifted back to when their eyes locked at the church, and then to when Violet approached her in the school. Was she reading too much into it? 

“Yo Clem,” Violet whistled, “Are you going to join or just continue to stare at the ceiling?”

Clementine shook off the thought and grimaced when she saw that Sara had pulled out Monopoly, but went ahead and moved to the floor as Violet started to count out the money. They played for a couple hours with Sara proving to be an absolutely ruthless property magnate. She took out Violet first and Clementine knew that the game would go on for a lot longer if she kept seriously playing so she faked a roll of the dice to allow Sara to win.

Sara’s eyes went wide when Clementine’s tophat landed on her property and she almost yelled, “I won?!”

“Yes it seems that you are a Monopoly savant.” Clementine looked at Violet, “Do you want to stay the night?”

“No...I shouldn’t.”

“Please.” Sara gave Violet the biggest puppy dog eyes as she pleaded, “I have extra pillows and blankets in the closet. We could build a fort and sleep on the floor and play more games.”

“Fine.” Violet rolled her eyes in annoyance, but her smile betrayed her, “But this is only for tonight.”


	2. Love and Other Impossible Things

Clementine slammed the bat into the ball and sent it flying over the fence causing Javi to whistle loudly as he said. “Clem if you can do that without practice then we might have a chance to pull this team together.” 

“I just got lucky.”

Javi signaled Mitch to pitch a fastball and tossed up his hands with excitement when Clementine sent it flying. “The crowd is going absolutely ballistic as Clem sends another ball into the stands. She is absolutely on fire right now folks.”

Clementine looked over at Javi and said, “Do you have to talk like that?”

“Yes.” Javi smiled, “Yes I do. I have to set the mood.”

Clementine sent a third ball flying toward third base making Aasim dive to the dirt and looked at Javi as she said, “Okay I may not know much about baseball, but he could have caught that.”

“That is why we hold practice.” Javi handed Clementine a form on a clipboard and a pen, “Fill that out and we can order your uniform. You can be an official Monarch.”

Clementine quickly filled out all of the questions and handed it back to Javi before walking over to the dugout to put away her helmet and bat. She was about to head back to the dorm when she saw Violet was waiting for her on the other side of the fence and quickly jogged over, “So was I any good?”

“I never really understood why people get into sports.” Violet smirked, “But it was hilarious to see Aasim dive for cover.”

“Yeah that was pretty fun,” Clementine smiled, “So what do you have planned?”

“I want to show you one of my favorite places to hide out at.”

“You mean the church?”

“Nope.” Violet smiled, “Now follow me, Slugger.”

Clementine followed Violet across campus to a secluded area behind the auto shop where Violet moved around some sheet metal to reveal a hole in the wall. “Are we allowed to leave campus?”

“If we were there would be a wall.” Violet slipped through the gap, “That is what makes this so much fun to do.”

“Wait if we get caught? Clementine slipped through the gap, “Won’t we get in serious trouble?”

“Not if we get back before dark.” Violet laughed, “Besides with me you can learn all about the kind of trouble you can get in around you.”

“I bet.” 

“Listen Clem.” Violet slowed down and smiled softly as she put her hands behind her head, “I am really glad I met you. Ever since me and my girlfriend, Minnie, broke up I have been alone here. The people I thought were my friends chose her and left me behind, and my roommate isn’t half as great as Sara. So thank you for looking at a walking mess and saying yeah she is someone I want to be with.”

"I'm glad I met you too." Clementine smiled softly, "I was afraid of being alone here."

Violet smiled and pushed some bushes aside to reveal a place where the path widened into a clearing with a fast flowing brook. On the other side the brook was a dilapidated cabin with a rusted out pickup parked out front with vines growing from where the engines used to be and wild ferns filling the bed. 

"Welcome to my little hideaway."

"Wow." Clementine walked up to the railroad tie bridge stretching over the brook and smiled when she saw a turtle plop into the water. "I expected you to take me to the train station,but this is way better."

"Never go there, Clem." Violet crossed her arms. "That is where Minnie and her new gang hangs out. And you don't want to mess with them. Ever."

Clementine nodded and followed Violet into the cabin. There was a worn out mattress covered in a pile of dirty blankets in one corner, a rusted bathtub being used a garbage can next to that, and a mahogany table surrounded by a hodgepodge of chairs in the center of it all.

"Well this place has a certain kind of charm to it."

"Yeah it does." Violet smiled and cleared the cobwebs out of the fireplace. "We used to steal beers and hide them in the creek to get cold before playing cards or just..."

Clementine looked toward the screen door as someone knocked and was shocked to see Sara standing on the other side when she opened it. "What are you doing here?"

"Well I was going to ask if you wanted to go to the library with me but then I saw you walk off with Violet."

Violet crossed her arms, "So you decided to follow us?"

"Well not at first." Sara twisted the drawstring of her hoody nervously, "I mean I did follow you to the hole in the wall but that was all I was going to do only I got worried and decided to see if you were in trouble."

"Violet just wanted to show me her favorite place to hang out."

"Oh." Sara let out a sigh of relief, "This place kind of cool but can't we get in trouble if we are caught out here though? I don't want Mr. Lee to get mad at us."

"That is the point." Violet sat down on a creaky folding chair, "And since you came out here I guess you can join."

"Join what?" Clementine sat down on a rotted but still comfortable bar stool, "Why are you being so mysterious?"

Violet lit some candles and said, "Well I figured we could tell each other the reasons why we were sent here."

"My dad killed himself." Sara adjusted her glasses and sat down, "I act like he is still alive because it is easier than the truth. I even have a box of letters I wrote to him under my bed. Most people think I am crazy,but I just don't t like thinking about it. That is also why I am glad to have met Clementine. She figured it out but went along with it. She is the first person to do that."

"My dad was an alcoholic and my mom had to work to support his habit and us so I spent most of my time with my grandparents." Violet sighed, "Then my p grandpa died and my grandma changed. She lost all of her energy and cried a lot until one Saturday while I was watching cartoons she sat down behind me in her rocking chair with my grandpa's hunting rifle. She pushed the barrel of the gun into her chest and used this tacky backscratcher to push the trigger down. Her body muffled the shot and she slumped forward. I froze and stayed still until my mom came to get me nine hours later. She sent me here the next day."

"My mom and dad took a trip to Savannah and got hit by a train." Clementine leaned forward, "Since they had made plans to be gone a full week my babysitter didn't worry about the lack of calls until about the ninth day. She called every number she had been given but it still took them three weeks for the police to dig my parents out of the wreckage and by that time I was living with my grandparents. The funeral was two empty caskets and I was sent here almost immediately afterward."

"Fuck we are broken." Violet shook her head, "The Blackwell Broken Orphans."

"We aren't broken anymore." Sara smiled, "We have each other."

"True." Violet pulled out a deck of cards and smirked, "By my count we still have about an hour before we are missed so how about a game of War?"

"Sounds like fun."

**\------**

When they got back to the school Violet covered the hole and said, "You should head back to the dorms, Sara, and we will join you later. I still have something I want to show Clementine."

Sara budgeted and nodded as she said, "Alright."

Clementine looked at Violet and said, "So where is trouble going to lead me to this time?"

"The church." Violet started to walk away and looked back with a coy smile as she said, "Trust me. You are going to love this."

Clementine nodded and followed Violet to the church, "I heard this place caught fire."

"Did they tell you how?" Violet slammed her elbow into the door to knock it loose and pushed it open, "The priest that ran this place went crazy and set himself on fire."

"Lee just said it caught fire."

Violet laughed and opened a door to the left of the main doors, "If you ask any teacher that is what they will always tell you, but I was there when it happened. The guy started to speak in tongues and poured a can of gasoline over himself before lighting up a cigarette."

"Yeah, sure." Clementine rolled her eyes at Violet climbed up after her on a rusted ladder that lead up into the bell tower. "That sounds a bit far fetched don't you think?"

"It is one hundred percent true." Violet pushed open a hatch, "Cross my heart and gouge my eye out true."

Clementine followed Violet through the hatch and looked out over the campus which seemed small from their perch, "This is an amazing view."

Violet jumped over the railing onto the roof, "It gets way better out here."

Clementine jumped the railing and said, "Is this safe?"

"You ask after joining me." Violet laughed and sat down. "The sun is almost gone."

Clementine sat down beside Violet and looked up as the stars came out, " Wow."

"Best view in all of Blackwell." Violet slid closer to Clem, "Listen, Clem, I..."

"I think I like you more than just a friend." Clementine took Violet's hand, "I know that we just met but I can't help it. I think there is more between us."

"I...I feel the same way."

Clem looked at Violet and quickly kissed her, "Well..shit this is romantic."

"Yeah it is." Violet looked down and hissed when she saw flashlights, "Shit, Lilly and Larry are starting their nightly patrols. We got to get back to the dorms."

Clementine stood with Violet and was about to climb over the railing when she saw that Violet hadn't moved from the spot.  "Violet?"

"Don't come back over here."

Clementine looked down and saw that the roof was buckling and ran toward Violet as it gave way. She reached out to her hand to Violet but their fingers slipped away from one another as Violet plummeted to the floor. Her eyes locked on Violet's and adrenaline surged through her like electricity across her skin. Then everything froze and started to reverse. It was like someone had hit rewind on a DVD and before she knew it she was sitting next to Violet again.

"Shit, Lilly and Larry are doing their nightly patrols. We..."

"What?"

"Seriously?" Violet smiled, "Our kiss wasn't that good."

"Sorry, I just had a weird sense of deja-vu." Clementine looked around them and noticed the roof was buckling and quickly pulled Violet toward the safety of the bell tower before it gave way. "Holy..You could have..."

"Me?" Violet clung to Clementine, "We both could have fell through."

Clementine nodded and said, "Let's head back."

They climbed down and was about to head outside when Lilly barged in and yelled, "What are you doing in here?! This place is off limits to students! When I get through with you you will be..."

Clementine held up her hand when Lilly swung her fist and it happened again only faster. In a blink Lilly was gone and she was back in the bell tower's closet. Violet was reaching for the door and she grabbed her hand as she whispered, "Not yet."

"Why?" Violet whispered back, "We are going to get caught."

"Wait."

Clementine pulled Violet into the corner behind the door as someone walked into the church.

"I am telling you I heard something."

"The goddamn roof gave way." Larry's voice was low and full of anger. "This whole place needs to be torn down."

"Fine." Lilly's flashlight shined through the keyhole. "Let's go check the greenhouse. Ruby likes to sleep in there."

"I hate that little bitch." Larry growled, "She is constantly disrespecting my authority and acting like she is my boss." 

"You can blame Lee for that. He..."

Clementine heard the door shut and said, "That was too close."

"Definitely." Violet carefully opened the door. "First the roof and now Lilly. Can you see the future or something?" 

"I think this falls into the Or Something category." Clementine shook her head, "Instead of going back to your dorm could you come to mine?"

"Like I was planning on doing anything else."

"Well this time there won't be any board games. I got to tell you something."


	3. Science Fiction is Reality

"Time travel is scientifically plausible." Sara's face beamed with excitement. "I've read a dozen books on it."

"Science fiction isn't reality." Violet shook her head, "I say that Clem has visions of the future and is just confused."

"I..."

"She is a time traveler." Sara cut off Clementine, "And we can prove it."

"How would we know she knows the proof because of time travel and not a future vision?"

"Well in one of my stories the girl could bring small objects with her when she reversed time."

"Sara." Clementine held out a small glass rabbit. "We have already been through this."

Sara's eyes went wide and she ran to the dresser. She pulled a small white box out of her underwear drawer and gasped when she opened it. "She has it. She has the last gift my dad gave me."

"Holy shit." Violet took the rabbit. "Could you take a person with you?"

"I don't think so." Clementine shook her head. "Forcing it made me want to vomit and my head is still pounding."

"Tomorrow is the free day so we can test out this ability of yours." Violet crossed her arms. "Can you imagine the kind of trouble we could get into if we can get it to work without making you sick?"

Sara took back the rabbit and carefully put it back into the drawer. "We can only use Clementine's power for good."

"If we use it all." Clementine shook her head. "I am alright with testing it but that is all we will do." 

"Fine." Violet sighed, "Tomorrow while everyone else is heading to town we will go to the clubhouse."

"So will this be the first official meeting of the Broken Orphans then?" Sara smiled and sat down on her bed, "We should design a patch or something for our club."

"Ours is a secret club, but I think we could work something out." Violet walked over to the door. "Goodnight. If I don't get back my roommate will put a chair against the door."

"Goodnight Violet." Clementine smiled as Violet left. "We should be getting to bed ourselves."

"You can go ahead and turn the lights out." Sara picked up a flashlight and pulled down a book from the shelf above her bed. "I am going to read first."

"Alright."

  
  


**\-------**

Clementine was the first to arrive at the clubhouse and started a fire in the fireplace after making sure the chimney was clear.

"Setting the mood?"

Clementine turned to Violet and smiled as she said, "I expected you to get here before me."

"Well I had to finish something." Violet walked over to Clementine and pinned a constellation pin to her jacket, "I wanted to make sure you never forget last night."

Clementine looked at the pin and said, "As if I could ever forget it."

"There is something I want to ask you." Violet smiled softly and hugged herself, "Next Friday is the Harvest Dance and I wondered if maybe you would want to go with me?"

"I might need a little practice but I would love to go with you."

"How about now?" Violet smiled and held out her hands. "You know practice."

Clementine stepped forward and took Violet's hands to her own. They pulled each other close and started to sway as their hands slipped free and wrapped around each other's waist. They rested their heads on each other's shoulders and kissed as they pulled away.

"Perfect." Sara snapped a picture of them. "Do you want this picture?"

Clementine took the picture and smiled as it developed. "I will cherish it." 

"But it is a shame that no has taken yours yet." Violet snatched Sara's camera and took her picture, "There now we are even."

Sara took back the camera and the picture and said, "I never thought I would have friends."

Violet sat down and nodded, "It is hard to know who to trust.When I was with Minnie I thought her friends were mine. I thought that their jokes were just that, but I was wrong. Minnie didn't see me as her girlfriend. She saw me as her pet. And her friends saw me as trailer trash."

Clementine pulled up a chair and took hold of Violet's hand, "How about instead of messing with the fabric of reality we work on fixing this place up?"

"Yes!" Sara smiled, "We also need to give a cool code name." 

"Castle Violet." Clementine nodded, "Since Violet is our leader."

"Hell no." Violet shook her head, "If I am the leader then I get to pick the name and I say it is Texas Two.

"I like that." Sara nodded, "It's a weird but fun name. I was afraid you were going to pick something vulgar like when we played Conquest and you named your general Pussius Eatius."

Violet laughed when she saw Sara shiver and said, "Well I would have but I didn't want to feel guilty either."

Clementine picked up a dirty linen sheet and climbed into the bed to hang it on two loose nails, "Now we just need paint." 

"Then let's go to town." Violet smiled, "It's still early and the bus doesn't leave until noon."

"Go to town...?" Sara fidgeted, "I haven't been off campus since..."

"We will both be with you at all times." Clementine gently placed her right hand on Sara's upper arm. "And if you start to feel uncomfortable for any reason we will come straight back."

"Second question. Do any of us have any money?" Violet bit her lip, "Because all I got is a ten and a pocket full of quarters."

"I still got thirty-five from my birthday fund." Clementine looked at Sara, "What about you?"

"I'm sorry but I don't have any money." Sara fidgeted, "I..." 

"We have enough so don't worry about it." 

"Yeah." Violet stood,"We might even have enough to go to the Two Whales afterward."

"Are you sure?"

"We are sure." Clementine opened the screen door, "All we have to do is be smart." 

"I can do that." Sara put out the fire with a bowl of stagnant water. "So what kind of things will we need for our clubhouse?"

"Well we don't need much." Clementine stepped through the door after Sara and Violet, "Maybe some curtains."

"And tarps for the roof so that it doesn't leak." Violet cut in, "And some cool looking decorations."

"Like skulls." Clementine paused when she noticed both Sara and Violet were staring at her. "What? I like skulls. They are neat."

"Well if you get skulls then I get flowers." Sara smiled, "Flowers are always nice."

"So Texas Two is going to be floral goth." Violet nodded, "I like it."


	4. The Calm Before Storm

Seeing Arcadia Bay for the first time was a breathtaking sight for Clementine. The bus let them off near the Two Whales Diner and from the bus stop she could see almost everything the town had to offer. From the dozens of shops along main street designed to lure in tourists to the beach and the boardwalk that was built in the shadow of a cliff with a lighthouse.

If they weren't on a mission she would have dragged Sara and Violet down to the boardwalk, kicking and screaming if she had to, just to see what kinds of games and rides it had to offer.

"Yo, Clem, are you coming?" Violet snapped Clementine out of the daydream by kissing her on the cheek. "I want to show you my favorite shop."

Clementine nodded and took Violet's hand as they started to walk away from the Two Whales. "There is a lot more to this town than I thought. One day we will have to come out just to explore it."

"This is all for show." Violet shook her head. "Main Street looks amazing but beyond this the town is still recovering from a...uh..."

"Recession."

"Thanks, Sara." Violet looked back with a smile. "I forgot the word for a moment."

Clementine looked toward the empty beach and said, "Well I am still curious about the boardwalk." 

"You mean the tourist trap." Violet smiled, "They built it about four years ago at the start of the recession, and I will admit that some of the rides look like fun and that the arcade has cost me a lot of quarters thanks to its classic games. Ms. Pac-Man is fucking addictive."

"I was thinking about how romantic a nighttime ride on the Ferris Wheel would be." Clementine looked up at the sign of the building they were at and read it aloud, "Sarita's Second Chance Thrift Shop." 

"The best store in town." Violet opened the door for Sara, "We can get all we need and more here for almost nothing."

Clementine stepped through into the store and shook her head when she saw Sara running toward the overflowing bookshelves in the very back. "We may have lost Sara."

"Good." Violet laughed, "I like her, but I got plans."

"Plans?"

"The knick-knacks are in the back. I'll join you in a few."

Clementine walked to the back and waved at Sara who was sitting on the floor while building a wall of books around herself. The shelves mostly had cheap glass figurines on them but she was able to find a pair of mounted antlers before moving on to the racks of shirts, pillow cases, and curtains.  She was looking at a rose covered shower curtain with brass rings when Violet walked up wearing a dark red suit with both hands behind her back making it clear she was hiding something.

Violet grinned and said, "So how do I look?"

"Really good." Clementine smiled, "Very vintage lesbian gangster."

"I gotta deal you can't refuse." Violet laughed and pulled a lacey white dress covered in black flowers from behind her back, "I found this one for you."

"Uh..." Clementine took the dress. "It might be too big for me."

"Please try it on."

"Fine." Clementine rolled her eyes and kissed Violet on the cheek before giving Violet her hat. "Don't lose that."

Violet put the hat on with a smirk and said, "I will guard it with my life."

Clementine walked over to the changing room and nervously put the dress on. It had lace sleeves, a long layered skirt that ended just at her past her knees and a high stiff collar. She wanted to hate it but when she saw herself in the mirror all she could see was her and Violet dancing.

"Shit."

Clementine jumped and turned to Violet who had sneakily opened the door. "You nearly gave me a heart attack." 

"Sorry but I had to see it."

"Well knock first." Clementine smiled and turned back to the mirror. "So how do I look?"

"Like a widow whose husband died under mysterious circumstances leaving her as the soul inheritor of his fortune."

"So like a billion dollars." Clementine nodded, "Close the door so that I can change back."

Once Clementine was back in her normal clothes she put the dress with the shower curtain and then tried to get her hat back from Violet who decided to turn it into a game of keep away.

After a couple minutes of dodging and laughing Clementine pinned Violet to the wall but then all Violet had to do to keep the hat away from Clementine was raise her arm up.

The game finally came to an end when Violet kissed Clementine on the forehead and slipped the hat back onto Clementine's head.

Clementine adjusted the hat and gave Violet a quick kiss before saying, "Do that again and I'll cancel the dance."

"No you won't." Violet smirked and walked away, "You are madly in love with me."

Clementine sighed and shook her head, "Go change before someone thinks you are shoplifting."

"Oh yeah the suit." Violet laughed and stepped into the changing room, and from behind the closed door said, "So did you find anything to decorate the clubhouse?" 

"Just some antlers and some curtains.

"No skulls?"

"No skulls." Clementine leaned on the wall beside the changing room, "I am thinking we might have to search the woods for them."

"Well I be." Kenny walked over to Clementine as soon as the front door shut, "What ate you doing out here Clementine? Not job hunting already are you?" 

"No." Clementine smiled, "I am trying to find stuff to decorate my half of the dorm room. You know trying to make it feel like home."

"Well what are you looking for?" Kenny smiled warmly. "I might be able to help you." 

"Animal skulls and weird knick-knacks." Clementine laughed nervously and rubbed the back of her neck, 'My friends think I am goth."

"Well if I see any of that stuff I will be sure to send it your way." Kenny nodded, " I'm glad you are already making friends."

"One is my roommate Sara." Clementine held back a laugh when she heard Violet cussing out her shoes. "And the other is Violet. We are actually dating now."

"Oh?" Kenny nodded, "Well I am real glad I ran into you, but I gotta go. I only came in here to give my wife, Sarita, her lunch."

"Do you think she will give us a discount if we tell you that we know you?" Violet came out of the changing room and gave Clementine the suit before freezing, "Oh...you are talking to the Sheriff. I promise I am not planning any trouble."

"Well since you are dating Clementine I'll say our history is just water under the bridge." Kenny glared at Violet. "But don't go breaking her heart."

"No need to worry." Violet smiled, "I mean look at her. When will I get another chance to date a girl as amazingly weird as her? Never that's when."

Clementine looked down and fidgeted as she said, " You are the one who deserves all the compliments."

"I am ready guys." 

Violet and Clementine both turned to Sara, who wad carrying a stack of books so high you couldn't see her face, but Clementine was the one to say, "Well I expected more. Do you need any help?"

"No, but thanks for offering." Sara walked up to the counter. "I am used to carrying more books than this."

Clementine waved goodbye to Kenny as he walked into the back of the store and brought the items she and Violet picked up to the counter, "So what did you find?"

"Science." Sara smiled and adjusted her glasses, "Wormholes, quantum mechanics, and a half a dozen science fiction books featuring time manipulation that I haven't read before."

Violet crossed her arms and said, "And what if Clementine's powers are supernatural and not scientific?"

Sarita came out of the back and gave Kenny a kiss on the cheek before moving behind the counter, "My you girls are certainly getting a lot today."

"I can put something back..." Sara bit her lip, "Yeah this is too much. I will put some of my books back."

"Sara." Clementine moved to block Sara from being able to pick up the books. "We won't be putting anything back." 

"You total is nine-fifty." Sarita started to back the items."So are you from Arcadia High or Blackwell?"

"Blackwell." Clementine handed Sarita a ten. "We are making good use of our free day." 

"I can see that." Sarita smiled and handed Clementine the change."You might want to head back soon though. I think it is going to rain."

"We will, but first we are going to get lunch at the Two Whales." Violet grunted and picked up two of the bags of books. "Best burgers in town."

They left the thrift shop with their arms loaded down with bags of loot and made it back to the Two Whales just as thunder started to rumble and a light mist started to fall.

Clementine and Sara sat down at the booth in the far corner of the diner next to the doors to the kitchen while Violet decided to mess around with the fancy touch screen jukebox.

Clementine decided to flip through the menu even though they had already decided on what they wanted to order and a couple minutes later a waitress named Bonnie walked over and said, "How can I help you ladies today?"

"We want three burgers all dressed, but no onions, and a plate of fries."

"Sure thing." Bonnie smiled, "You know I went to Blackwell as a girl and I can always tell when one of them walks into the diner. I'd say you are new though."

"Yeah." Clementine nodded, "I started last Sunday."

"A lot of folks in town don't like Blackwell, but that place helped me through a very dark time in my life." Bonnie smiled, "But you probably don't want to hear me tell stories do you. I'll go get your food."

Violet sat down as Lord Huron's "To The Ends of the Earth" started to play and watched Bonnie go into the kitchen. "How do you do that?"

"Do what?

"Get people to tell you their secrets."

"It's her eyes." Sara looked up from the book she was reading, "And her smile."

"Yeah that's true." Violet nodded, "They certainly worked on me."

Clementine kissed Violet on the cheek. "My charm doesn't always work. I am pretty sure Lilly hates me."

"Lilly hates everybody." Violet crossed her arms. "Luckily Lee can smell her bullshit from a mile away and refuses to let her or Larry intimidate him."

"Ugh...Larry is even worse." Clementine shook her head. "Remember what he said at the church?"

"You mean when he called Ruby a bitch?"

"I like Ruby." Sara looked up again, "She knows a lot about plants and animals. She wants to own a horse ranch one day."

"So are you and Ruby friends? Clementine smiled, "Do you think she would want to join our club?"

"We aren't friends." Sara shook her head, "I was in the library and she sat next to me with a stack of homework."

Bonnie came back out of the kitchen and sat three hamburgers, three plates of fries, and three milkshakes on the table before saying, "This is on me so don't go worrying about the cost."

"Wow thank you!" They all exclaimed in unison before braking out into laughter and Clementine said, "I hope you don't get into any trouble for this."

"It will be fine."

Clementine nodded as Bonnie moved onto another table and looked to Violet who was watching Sara intently.

For some reason Sara had completely disassembled her burger and had started to rebuild it. She put the lettuce on the bottom bun followed by the tomato and the burger and top bun before cutting it into four pieces and adding mustard and ketchup to the plate.

"Sara..." Violet leaned forward, "What are you doing?"

"While it is customary to have the toppings on top of the burger for the sake of taste it is better to have them on the bottom."

"That way your taste buds get the flavors before they get all mixed together as you chew."

"Right." Sara smiled and let out a sigh of relief, "I was actually worried you were going to make fun of me."

Violet quickly copied Sara and took a bite of her burger, "She is right."

"But what is up with the ketchup and mustard?" Clementine rearranged her burger. "Why not just put them on the burger?"

"If you are careful you can prevent yourself from making a mess and the cutting is so that I can share if I get full without having to swap spit with anyone."

"She makes some valid points Clem." Violet smiled and dipped a fry into her milkshake. But I was never one to care about making a mess."

Clementine looked out the window as it started to rain and said, "I love storms. The sound of rain always soothes me."

"It's nice isn't it.” Violet stopped eating, "My granddad always took me fishing in the rain. He believed it made it easier to catch when it was pouring down."

"I used to hide in my tree house when it rained and listened to the raindrops while I read or drew." Clementine ate a couple of fries, "That tree house was my place to escape. I hated it when I was little, but as I got older it became the place where I imagined being more than I was. It was a spaceship, a pirate galleon, and a castle. After my parents died it became the place where my parents...Sorry."

"It's okay." Violet hugged Clementine, "So you imagined that you lived in a castle. Did you wear a dress?"

"I wore a suit of armor that was also a dress and I carried a sword made from a giant diamond."

"So cool." Sara took the first bite of her fries, "I always imagined I was a superhero. I could heal with a touch. I was confident, brave, and strong."

"You wanted all the things that you believe you don't already have." Violet took a bite of her burger, "You don't need that stuff. If you were a superhero you would be smart, clever, and compassionate like Batman."

"I couldn't be Batman." Sara shook her head, "I couldn't hurt anyone."

"Batman isn't always about punching. He is a traumatized man trying to use his detective skills to help other traumatized people the help they need." Clementine looked at Violet and smirked, "What? I read comics."

"Damn I love you." Violet smiled, "So our team has a Batman, a time wizard, and me. What powers would I have?"

"Captain Marvel." Clementine ate a fry, "Like her you love space, can kick ass, and are also very sweet."

"I would love to have an alien cat." Violet nodded, "Plus she is hot so yeah I am Captain Marvel."

"Names." Sara finished her burger and started to sort her fries by size, "We need names to add to the clubhouse wall."

"Clem is Deja Vu." Violet smiled, "Sara is the Raven, a nod to Poe, and I am Captain Awesome."

"No you are Ultra Violet." Sara smiled, And I love the nod to Poe. We all fit his poem alone."

"No way you are calling me Ultra Violet."

"Let's take a vote." Clementine smiled coyly, "All in favor eat a fry."

Violet groaned when Sara and Clementine ate a fry, "Fine I am Ultra Violet."

Clementine let Violet have the rest of her burger and fries and started on the milkshake. "My powers need some work though. Time travel in the comics is more of a plot device than a power. What if I could freeze people in time bubbles and rewind brief moments of my own personal time?"

"Sounds good." Violet finished the rest of her and Clementine's food and took the fries that Sara had rejected, "I have to say eating with you all is amazing."

"I can't believe you are still eating " Clementine laughed, "That burger was massive."

"Well this food is way better than the stuff they serve in the cafeteria." Violet finished off the fries, "It is full of the good stuff and doesn't meet any nutritional requirements."

Clementine looked out the window and swore when she saw the bus pull away from the stop, "Shit we missed our ride back to town."

"No that doesn't come until..." Violet pulled out a fancy looking phone from inside her jean vest, "Shit. What do we do?"

"I'll give you a ride." Luke turned around in his booth, "I live on campus, but you all need to be more aware of the time or else you will end up on Lilly's bad side."

"Thank you." Clementine gathered up two of their bags and watched Luke leave, "So Violet where did you get the phone."

"Dorm lost and found." Violet slid out of the booth and picked up the rest of the bags, "They got a lot of good shit in there. I got a laptop, a handheld console, and these killer boots."

"That is stealing." 

"No it's not." Violet looked at Sara, "It is more like claiming fallen loot. Just give a vague but believable description and it's yours."

"Violet stop trying to corrupt Sara." Clementine laughed, "You are a superhero not a villain."

"Right..." Violet nodded, "I am a superhero."


	5. No Longer a Game

The next day Clementine and Violet decided to hunt for animal skulls in the woods while Sara cleaned up the cabin to prepare for the changes they had in mind.

Clementine knew that hunting for animal skulls was just a cover but decided to let Violet think that the ruse had worked as they wandered through the trees. "This is a big place isn't it."

"And technically all owned by the school." Violet whistled and took hold of Clementine's hand, "Last year some dude tried to get Lee to sell this property to New Frontier Development but he turned them down flat. Lilly then tried to get Lee removed from office but before that could happen the company collapsed."

Clementine nodded, "I bet you have a story for why that happened."

"Story? I got the truth as said by the news." Violet smiled, "The woman who ran the company torched an apartment building because she couldn't evict the homeless people in it."

"So are we going to keep talking about politics or..." Clementine walked over to a fallen tree and picked up a bleached set of antlers, "We can tie these up and hang them from the ceiling."

Violet nodded, "My dad had a pair like these the last time I saw him. They were screwed to the wall and he hung his hats on them."

Clementine slipped the antlers into her bag and moved down to the creek where Violet found a couple of rocks with fossilized shells in them. "You know this is not what I had planned to do today."

"I know." Clementine pulled Violet close and kissed her. "But it all worked out didn't it."

"Yeah I guess so." Violet blushed, "To be honest I don't know much about how to...you know...be a couple."

"Neither do I." Clementine wrapped her arm around Violet's waist, "But I think we are doing great at being romantic."

"We are." Violet smiled, "It makes me realize more and more that I never...I didn't realize what love was. If I had Minnie..."

"Does this look like a duck to you?" Clementine interrupted, "It looks like a duck to me." 

"A very malformed duck." Violet laughed, "Nice dodge of a topic as well, Clem."

"I know how much you hate thinking about her."

"I wish I could stop." Violet kissed Clementine again before taking her hat, "This time you won't be getting this back."

Clementine chased after Violet for almost thirty minutes before they accidentally stumbled through the underbrush and found themselves at the train station. 

They were about to retreat when they heard someone yelling inside. The guy sounded absolutely terrified and they crept closer to the back window to hear what he was saying.

"Shit! Shit! Shit! What did I do?"

"You killed her." The second voice was feminine and from her laughter she was enjoying this, "You cracked her head like an egg. And here I thought you liked Brody."

"No...no...we can fix this."

Violet leaned in and whispered, "That is Minnie and Marlon."

Clementine was about to say something when a third voice chimed in. It was as cold as ice and she knew it could only belong to Lilly.

"Enough Marlon." Lilly's voice was devoid of emotion. "You killed your friend and in your grief you killed yourself." 

"Wait I...we can still..."

Clementine and Violet backed up when a gunshot rang out and the last thing Clementine heard as the adrenaline started to surge was Lilly saying, "Good work, Minerva."

In a dizzying heartbeat she was back in the moment when Violet took her hat and she quickly snatched the phone from Violet's vest.

Violet fell back startled and said, Whoa....what?"

Clementine didn't answer as she hurriedly called the police and said, "We need help down at the old train station. Marlon has attacked Brody."

Violet looked at the phone when Clementine handed it back and said, "Time travel?"

"Yes but we can stop it." Clementine started to run toward the train station, "I hope we can stop it."

Without the game to slow them down they were able to arrive at the station in only ten minutes and were able to catch the start of the argument this time.

"This has gone too far!" Brody yelled, "We have to stop!"

"No way!" Marlon shattered something, "We can't back out now!"

Clementine crept closer to the front door and motioned for Violet to follow as Brody said, "No, I am telling Mr. Everett everything. I don't care what happens..."

Clementine's eyes went wide when she heard a heavy thud from inside and kicked the rotten door open as Brody staggered back with blood pouring from a gash across her scalp, and slammed into Marlon with all her might to stop him from raising the post again.

Marlon snarled and tried to hit Clementine but Violet rushed forward and kicked him in the crotch giving Clementine a chance to punch him in the face.

While Clementine tied Marlon up so that he couldn't hurt them Violet tened to Brody who was starting to babble incoherently. 

Violet pressed a discarded flannel shirt to Brody's wound as the sounds of sirens echoed through the trees and said, "She is doing so good, Clem."

Clementine heard someone in the ticket booth and ran to the counter just in time to see a shadow run out the back door and almost yelled Minnie's name but decided not to. 

Instead she helped Violet carry Brody outside as Kenny and an ambulance pulled up. The paramedics took Brody and Kenny put Marlon in the backseat of his cruiser as another cruiser pulled up.

While Kenny started to tape off the crime scene he glanced back at the deputy and said, "Carly take these girls back to the station and call Lee. He will have to be present before we question them."

"You sure you don't want me taping off the scene?"

"No." Kenny shook his head, "It has to be me. I should be done in about thirty minutes so if Lee shows up before me you can take their statements. It will give you a chance to put your skills a journalist to use."

Carly nodded and opened the back door to her cruiser, "Hop in girls...uh...Do I have to read them their rights?"

"They are just witnesses." Kenny shook his head, "You can give give them snacks out of my desk and colas from the fridge."

Violet and Clementine climbed into the cruiser and went the whole ride into Arcadia Bay in silence. Not because they had nothing to say, but because they did not know how to put what had happened into words yet. It still felt like a dream and all they could was hold hands and listen to the hum of the wheels on the blacktop.

Clementine was mostly worried about the questions they were going to be asked. About the answers they were going to say, and the gaps they couldn't fill. And then there was Sara. What if she got worried and went looking for them? What if she got lost, hurt or worse. What if that was the price of saving Brody?

"Don't look so glum." Carly tilted the rear view mirror, "You did your best and I am sure your friend is going to pull through."

"Kenny said not to say anything." Clementine looked up at Carly, "Won't you get in trouble?"

"Only if you tell him." Carly smiled, "I have always had trouble following orders. It is what got me fired from my old job and it will probably get me fired from this one."

"Then why did you chose to become a cop?" 

"It wasn't my choice." Carly pulled into the sheriff's station, "I was on my way down the coast and my car broke down. I came here looking for directions to a mechanic and one thing lead to another."

"Same thing kind of happened to me." Clementine sighed, "I hate baseball but I am in the team at Blackwell."

"Oh!" Violet took off Clementine's hat and handed it back to her. "I forgot I still had this."

Clementine gave Violet a kiss and put the hat back on, "I almost forgot myself because you looked so good in it."

"Smooth one, Clem." Violet smiled and climbed out of the backseat after Carly opened the door, "So Ms. Deputy, the sheriff said something about snacks and a cola?" 

"Come with me and we can have a little picnic lunch while we wait for Kenny and Lee."

Clementine and Violet ran inside and in a few minutes they had set up a small junk food feast at Carly's desk.

"Now this is nice." Violet laughed as she made a brownie ball. "Clem, we should get arrested more often."

"You guys aren't under arrest." Carly mixed some granola with peanut butter and rubbed on an apple slice. "And we can't say anymore about that until Lee gets back."

"Let's talk about Arcadia's most wanted then." Clementine smiled and made a peanut butter sandwich with two brownies as the bread, "Biggest arrest you made so far?"

"Haven't had this job for that long so nothing major." Carly took a bite of her apple slice, "I did bust Jane though for drug possession though."

"You mean that scary woman who lives in that nasty RV?" Violet tilted her head, "I wondered why I hadn't seen her at the Two Whales lately."

"She was released but we still have her RV at the impound." Carly frowned, "I messed up her paperwork but I still won...sort of."

Lee walked in the front door and smiled at Carly as he said, "Well I am glad to see you are treating Clementine and Violet well."

"They are absolute angels." Carly smiled and walked over to Lee. "And probably heroes as well." 

"I know." Lee nodded, "They broke the rules by sneaking out but it can be forgiven."

"Well Kenny isn't back yet so I guess it is up to me to get their statements." Carly pulled a tape recorder out of her desk, "So girls can you tell us what happened? Why were you at the train station?"

"We didn't mean to go that far." Clementine looked at Lee as she decided to tell as much of the truth as she could, "We were out there looking for animal skulls for my side of the dorm room and ended wandering down to the train station. We heard people arguing inside and freaked out when we heard this awful noise."

"I was the one who convinced her to sneak out." Violet fidgeted, "There is this blind spot in the cameras that makes it easy. I was hoping to make out with Clem without Sara interrupting."

"Well thank you for your honesty." Lee nodded and looked at Carly, "Will that be all?"

"Yes but Kenny might want to bring them in again later." Carly hit stop on the recorder, "Marlon will be going to trial for what he did."

"And they might have to testify." Lee sighed, "This is going to be hard on everybody."

"If you ever just want to talk or maybe see a movie you could give me a call." Carly smiled, "Wait am I being too forward?"

"Let's head outside." Clementine whispered to Violet who could only answer with a nod due to a mouth full of food and when they were out in the parking lot Clementine said, "Do you think Brody will make it?"

"Thanks to you." Violet leaned on the hood of the cruiser, "You were a badass."

"We were both badasses." Clementine looked around before saying, "It's not over. Before we changed it Marlon wasn't alone. Minnie and Lilly was with him and I think Lilly had Minnie shoot Marlon. And after we changed it I saw someone take off through the backdoor."

"Seriously?" Violet's eyes went wide. "And we can't say anything unless we bring up your power and no one would believe that."

"Brody could connect them. That is why Marlon tried to kill her. She was going to tell Lee about Lilly." Clementine took a deep breath and released it, "Are we sure we want to get involved in this?"

"We are superheroes." Violet smiled, "And with your power we will always be one step ahead."

Clementine waved at Kenny as he pulled up and watched him drag Marlon inside of the station before saying, "He looks pissed."

"Well he is heading to jail because of us." Violet shook her head, "Want to see if..." 

Clementine cut Violet off when Kenny came back outside and said, "So what happens now?" 

"Well I will need to work out all the details and once the case is solid it will go on to the district attorney." Kenny sighed, "At the moment he is trying to sell me a story about how you two attacked him and Brody."

"You can't believe that." Clementine bit her lip in fear, "He was the one who was trying to kill Brody because she wanted to tell Lee something."

"You don't have to worry." Kenny smiled, "He has blood splatter on his face, clothes, and he has splinters in his hands from the post."

Clementine let out a sigh of relief and said, "Good. I was worried for a moment because I wouldn't do well in prison."

"Nah", Violet laughed, "You and I would do great behind bars. We could even be cellmates."

Kenny chuckled softly, "You two. A trouble maker and a trouble solver." 

Carly walked outside and said to Kenny, " Alright I photographed Marlon's face and hands and put his clothes into evidence. What should I do now?"

"Take these two back to Blackwell while I talk to Lee."

"Anything else?" 

"Not at the moment." Kenny walked over to the door. "You did good work today."

"Thank you." Carly smiled and looked at Clementine and Violet, "Well I guess I will take you back to school, but first I want to look over the scene one more time and have you walk me through what happened just in case Kenny missed something."

"You don't believe us?" 

"No I believe you." Carly rubbed the back of her neck, "But my gut tells me that we don't have the full picture yet." 

Clementine nodded nervously and got into the front seat of the cruiser while Violet got in the back.

The drive back to the station was just as tense as before and when they arrived Clementine got out with Carly so that she could go over the story again.

"There is one thing I forgot before." Clementine bit her lip again, "After the fight I thought I saw a shadow run out the backdoor, but it might have been nothing."

Carly nodded and walked over to the ticket counter but as she pushed the door open a shot rang out and she fell to the ground with a gaping hole in her head and her eyes frozen in shock.

Clementine backed away as Lilly stepped and was about to scream when Lilly fired but then she felt the adrenaline surge and for a second she could see the bullet spinning between her eyes before she blinked back to the moment before Carly was shot.

She ran forward just as Carly was opening the door causing the deadly bullet to fly past her and into the wall.

"Freeze!" Carly pulled her gun as she pressed against the wall for cover. "I am with..."

Lilly fired three more rounds before Carly fired in retaliation and entered the room. Clementine tried to follow but was only able to take a couple steps before she realized that she didn't feel right.

Her head was still spinning from the time jump and a strange warmth was spreading across her stomach and down her right leg. She reached down and her hand came back sticky and even in the fading light could see it was a glossy red. She staggered and was able to say, "Violet...", before blacking out completely.


End file.
